A senior Libyan official denied reports out of Israel that high-level, secret talks had recently been held over the prospect of forging diplomatic ties. "Libyan authorities have looked into these reports and found nothing to them," Deputy Foreign Minister Hassuna Shawsh told the state news agency JANA.

Shawsh added "whoever is circulating these reports should provide proof by stating the date and place of these meetings, as well as the people involved.

"International relations are not built on rumors and intrigues," he said, but are instead "based on clarity and mutual confidence."

Shawsh conveyed that "those who are spreading these rumors believe they are in the process of serving their interests but, quite the contrary, these rumors are detrimental to them."

In a press conference in Tripoli, Shawsh confirmed that Kadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, had attended a conference in Greece but "never met with an Israeli directly."

Separately, he said Libya was open to responding favorably to a call by an Israeli MP this week to allow Jews who had emigrated from Libya to return to the country for a visit. (Albawaba.com)